LOS ANGELES _ Three people were killed and nine others were injured Tuesday night when gunfire erupted at a party at a home in Long Beach.
Police and fire officials were called to a duplex behind a nail salon around 10:44 p.m. and came across what authorities described as a mass casualty incident. Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Jake Heflin said firefighters arrived at "a scene obviously filled with chaos."
At a news conference Wednesday morning, authorities said that they were still searching for at least one male suspect who fled from the scene after the shooting and that they did not have evidence that gangs were involved. A description of the suspect was not immediately available.
"Today is a very tragic and horrific day in the city of Long Beach," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said. "This was a senseless act of gun violence."
When officers arrived at the scene, they found victims inside and outside the residence. Some of the partygoers were dressed in costume for Halloween, said Long Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer De Prez.
Three men were killed in the shooting. Two men and seven women were hurt, and their conditions were not immediately available. Those who were injured range in age from 20 to 49, De Prez said.
Police said there might be additional victims who took themselves to the hospital. It is not clear how many people were at the home when shots rang out or what led to the gunfire.
Richard Villalobos, 41, who doesn't live far from the home, said he heard numerous gunshots followed by police sirens less than 10 minutes later.
Some residents said they heard up to 20 shots. Oswaldo Morales, 47, said he was in the area when he heard what sounded like several rounds of gunfire _ as many as 17 shots.
Then "silence _ you didn't hear a thing," he said.
Morales said minutes later he heard fire and police vehicles passing through.
